Nominations have opened for the Penrith South ward of Westmorland and Furness Council, recently vacated by the retirement of Cllr Virginia Taylor.
The Notice of Election was published on Thursday 5 February 2026, allowing candidates’ time to complete their nomination papers before the deadline of 4pm on Friday 13 February 2026.
Assuming there is more than one candidate, a by-election for the Penrith South ward will be held on Thursday 12 March 2026.
If you currently live in the Penrith South ward and are registered to vote then you do not need to register your details again.
If you have moved into or changed address within the Penrith South ward since responding to the voter registration form, you will need to re-register your details before the Tuesday 24 February 2026 deadline to be eligible to vote in the by-election.
The easiest way to register to vote is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote, or Westmorland and Furness Council can send you information explaining how to do this in the post. Anyone interested in standing, can contact the elections team by email at elections3@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk
Nomination papers can be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer, Voreda House, Portland Place, Penrith CA11 7BF and must be returned before 4pm on Friday 13 February 2026.
Postal vote applications now require the applicant’s National Insurance number and a copy of their signature. Registered voters who applied for a postal vote prior to this change but haven’t reapplied for a postal vote prior to the 31 January 2026 deadline must re-apply for a postal vote before 5pm on Wednesday 25 February 2026 in order to receive a postal vote for this by-election. If they do not, they will not receive a postal vote. However, they will still receive a polling card and will be eligible to vote in person at their local polling station.
Postal voters are encouraged to use the Royal Mail envelope provided with their postal vote pack, wherever possible. Anyone returning a postal vote by hand to the Returning Officer must complete a postal vote return form. A postal vote returned by hand that is not accompanied by a postal vote return form will be rejected.
There are also new limits on the number of postal votes that can be handed in by one person. Electors who wish to hand their postal vote in at the polling stations or designated council offices must complete a postal vote return form for the postal vote to be accepted.
Postal votes should not be put through the council letter boxes, or via internal council mailboxes as these will have to be rejected.
Anyone voting in person will have to show a form of photo ID. Anyone without an eligible form of ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate (VAC). Applications for a VAC or an Anonymous Elector’s Document valid for these elections must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Wednesday 4 March 2026.
Applications for a Voter Authority Certificate can be made online at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate
The deadline to register to vote in the Penrith South by-election is midnight on Tuesday 24 February 2026.
The postal vote application deadline is 5pm on Wednesday 25 February 2026.
The deadline for proxy vote applications is 5pm on Wednesday 4 March 2026.
The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate is 5pm on Wednesday 4 March 2026.
For more information, visit the Westmorland and Furness Council website at www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/voting-and-elections